Olsen, Mateo face off in redrawn district

Saturday

Apr 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Call it a dry run or a formal poll at taxpayers' expense. But whatever voters in the newly configured 12th Assembly District think of the June 5 primary, they'll get a do-over five months later. That's because there are just two candidates in the partisan race, Democrat Christopher Mateo and Republican Kristin Olsen. And both will appear again on the general election ballot Nov. 6. That's the vote that will count.

Joe Goldeen

STOCKTON - Call it a dry run or a formal poll at taxpayers' expense. But whatever voters in the newly configured 12th Assembly District think of the June 5 primary, they'll get a do-over five months later. That's because there are just two candidates in the partisan race, Democrat Christopher Mateo and Republican Kristin Olsen. And both will appear again on the general election ballot Nov. 6. That's the vote that will count.

With no incumbent, California's new 12th Assembly District will require its next occupant to spread himself or herself among three demographically equal population centers - Manteca, north Modesto and Turlock - all of which tend to be conservative enclaves.

That should help Olsen, the current 25th District Assembly member from Modesto who has proven conservative credentials and greater name recognition. She'll be facing Mateo, embarking on his first state election and little known outside the Lathrop area, where he serves as vice mayor.

The reconfigured 12th District stays completely in the Valley, generally covering the eastern portions of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. It skirts around Lodi and Stockton but manages to jut west to include Manteca, Ripon and Lathrop before heading south into Stanislaus County roughly along the east side of the Highway 99 corridor as far south as Turlock.

The new district splits Modesto - Olsen's hometown - in half, placing the more left-leaning western and southern portions into the newly drawn 21st Assembly District.

Olsen's message will be pretty much centered on getting people back to work in hard-hit San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, where unemployment higher than 16 percent, about twice the national average, continues to linger.

"So many people are out of a job. It is a time of great uncertainty. We need to focus our efforts on creating jobs in the Central Valley. By doing that, there are so many indirect benefits," Olsen said.

"Schools will improve because of a broader tax base. ... Many areas of life will improve when people have jobs. I would say that is true for the whole state, but the degree of importance is higher in the Central Valley. And I wish it was a priority of more people in the state Legislature," she said.

Mateo, who emigrated from his native Philippines while still in his teens, believes he can speak for those who generally don't get heard by their government.

"I would like to represent the poor, the minorities, the children, the veterans, the legal immigrants and the citizens that have no voice in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties," he said.

"I'd like to share my experiences with the next generation. As an immigrant myself, I know working hard has lots of benefits. Compared to the country I came from, it's difficult to look for a job. Having a job here is one of the benefits of being a citizen here. It's not impossible to look for a job. Then that might motivate the children to get better educated and compete in the job market globally," he said.

Mateo is also advocating for a comprehensive, four-year public university in San Joaquin County. "I think it's long overdue," he said.